u/AvonBarksdale666

Want to get more out of your bicep training?

Here are two ways to train your biceps with your arms positioned behind your torso, placing greater emphasis on the muscle at longer lengths.

1️⃣ Incline dumbbell curls – A simple option that only requires a bench and dumbbells.

2️⃣ Behind-the-body cable curls – A great alternative that provides a different resistance profile throughout the movement.

Both are effective options, and neither is automatically superior.

The key is controlled execution, a comfortable range of motion, and progressive overload over time.

You don’t need to reinvent your training. Sometimes it’s just about understanding why you’re doing an exercise.

I’m a big sucker for tastefully done violence and brutality (The Worst of Evil, Karma being favs in that regard) and The Tyrant is ticking all the right boxes for me, and I don’t see it being discussed much - went completely under my radar. I’m 3 episodes in (out of 4) and the synopsis does not do it justice - stellar performances all round, suitably gritty and dark and unpredictable as fuck.

You don’t need the most advanced ab exercises to start training them properly.
Start with movements you can control, learn how to actually flex and stabilise through your trunk, and progress them as you get stronger.
And while getting lean enough is what allows you to see your abs, you still have to build them in the first place.
Train them regularly. Train them hard. Progress them like any other muscle group.

Here’s how I’d structure a complete back & biceps day

Wide-grip T-bar row — upper back
Neutral-grip chest-supported row — lats
Vertical pulldown — lats
Iliac/angled pulldown — lats
Preacher curl — biceps
Hammer curl — biceps + brachialis

You don’t need endless variations.
Cover the main functions, choose exercises you can progress consistently, and make sure you actually know what you’re trying to target with each one.

Want to grow your quads?

Exercise selection matters, but it’s only one part of the equation.

Here are three things I’d focus on if building bigger quads is the goal.

And the last one has nothing to do with exercise selection

Latest Leg Session - First and Last reps

2nd leg sesh since bouncing back from injury. Was comfortable getting a hinge pattern back in today, but played it pretty safe. Strength is back up a bit from last time too, work capacity back up since picking the cardio back up (and getting consistent with training again) so this was not nearly as much of a slog as the last one thankfullly.
I dare say I even enjoyed it. And enjoyment is the key to adherence. Good to be back smashing these poxy chicken legs, it’s what they deserve and crave. Not going to failure on a few things here as I work back up towards it, but still keeping a relative amount of intensity

Hanging leg raises are one of my favourite ways to train the abs — provided you’re actually controlling the movement rather than swinging your way through it.
Done properly, they’re great for:
• Training the abs through a large range of motion
• Building strength and control through the trunk
• Training the abs to actively control the position of the pelvis
• Challenging the hip flexors alongside the core
• Developing grip strength simply from maintaining the hang
• Building better body control and stability
• Progressing easily from bent-knee raises → straighter-leg raises → more advanced variations
The big one for me is control.
If momentum is doing most of the work, you’re making the exercise easier in exactly the place you’re trying to make it harder.
Slow it down, control the pelvis, and make your abs actually earn the reps.
And if you can’t do that from a free hang yet, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with using a more stable variation and building up to it.

Latest Upper Session, showing the first and last rep of each exercise

You don’t need to take every set to absolute failure, but you absolutely should be applying a decent amount of consistent intensity while maintaining good form by the end of your sets if you want to make progress

The chest press seems simple enough — but a few small mistakes can make a big difference to how effectively you’re actually performing it.

Keep your upper back stable, find a comfortable elbow position, and control the weight rather than rushing through your reps.

Get the technique right, train hard, and give yourself something to progress over time.

This was my first proper leg session since my lower back injury a few weeks ago. Mind you, I did attempt one since but as I was in the heat of it, I noticed my back still wasn’t up to it, so had to pull back.

As a result, this was pretty brutal. Had to strip back weight as my strength is down, pulled back on intensity as I work back up towards it over the next few sessions, work capacity is depleted too (cardio took a back seat while I was away in Taipei) - so I was absolutely cooked after this one. I decided not to risk any hinge patterns just yet in case my back decides it’s not quite ready yet and puts me out of action again for another few weeks.

The good news is that, the hardest part is now out of the way - just getting started again. It can only get easier from here. So I can make it harder again, and the cycle continues.
And despite how much this fried me, it felt so good to be back at it.

Cos I do love this shit at the end of the day. Glutton for healthy punishment.

I came to Taipei to visit for a week, and extended to 10 days when it transpired a week just isn’t enough. Absolutely loved my time here. I leave for home in Dublin tomorrow, but hoping to return in the not so distant future

I am visiting from Ireland, I originally booked a week but extended my stay to 10 days because I’m enjoying it so much (a week is too short anyway to really soak up the environment). The people here are so friendly and polite and respectful of their environment. My apartment is so peaceful that I’ve been getting the best sleep I’ve had in years. I am a fitness professional and the gyms I have visited are some of the cleanest, well-kept and nicest I have ever been to (outside of Seoul)

I have two days left and I will be visiting Shifen and Houtong (im a big cat guy). I will undoubtedly return, I take these solo trips as a reset from the chaos and monotony of my hometown living and this trip has very much returned my peace. Much respect and love to you all